During the last few months my sis´s mare has begun to sweat a lot. She´s used to riding a lot (endurance training) and has never had any serious health problems, but now she´s completely wet in about an hour. The vet says everything´s fine and that my sis can ride her as much as before, but I disagree with him. She also turns round and heads back home after 30-40min. I have a feeling that she hates going out now and all she wants is food, peace and quiet. We take her out with my mare (younger) and since she´s been acting strange and wants to go back home, the younger one bites her and forces her to stay where she is and not turn back home. Any suggestions?

I guess I'm a bit confused. Who wants to go home after 40 minutes, the horse? I'm sure if my horses were asked they'd never want to leave home to begin with. But that's not their decision to make.

I don't know about the sweating a lot. I have one horse that sweats a lot if I ride in the winter because his coat is so darn thick. But I don't shave him because he lives totally outdoors. When I get him home I towel dry him the best I can and then stick a blanket on him to finish drying him off. Seems to work okay.

Of course the horse wants to go back home well, changing the vet over here is a problem, there's only one here that works with horses. In my opinion it' s because she's getting old (19yrs), but the vet says it has nothing to do with it. Since the extreme sweating started, we take her out for only 2hrs, just in case.Posted via Mobile Device

The turning around could be a training issue if she is used to riding one direction for an hour then turning round to go home. Thats nappieness and can be trained out in time through things like not letting her rush home, taking her on circular routes and avoiding simply doing and about turn.
Or it could be physical, and she is getting sore after riding for a while. As she gets older shes not going to be able to go for as long, with things like arthritis starting to make an apperance. If your vet didn't pick up on soreness then get a second opinion, even if its from a non horse specialist vet. They could pick up on something the other vet didn't.

Of course the horse wants to go back home well, changing the vet over here is a problem, there's only one here that works with horses. In my opinion it' s because she's getting old (19yrs), but the vet says it has nothing to do with it. Since the extreme sweating started, we take her out for only 2hrs, just in case.Posted via Mobile Device

I am a former endurance rider. My horses did not increase their sweat production when they got older.

Specifically, are you feeding alfalfa or any other source of high protein feed?

A lot of horses will sweat more when eating alfalfa. They also drink a lot more and urinate a lot more on alfalfa.

As long as she is drinking enough to have sufficient water in her gut for digestion and defecation and does not impact from a dry gut, it is no problem.

I also used to ride endurance races and I have trail horses now that go 100 miles a week in the summer. Last summer they were being ridden that much in 100+ weather. They did not even sweat (except under their saddles) once they got used to the work. Sweat poured off of them and ran down their legs when the heavy work schedule first started. Within a month, they seldom broke a sweat. Their water consumption went up and down with their sweating level. Not one had a bad day and not one lost weight and 2 are over 20 and 5 or 6 are between 15 and 20 years old.

If you are really worried about health, have a Vet pull a blood sample and have him run a full blood chemistry panel. It will check for liver function, kidney function and several other things that indicate how a horse's body is working for them.

1+ for mls. Make sure to check her vital signs - especial from exercise to recovery period. If your horse is not recovering normally from exercise, there may be a medical issue contributing to the 'increased sweating', which can range from heart issues to lung issues. As a veterinarian, I know that owners are THE most familiar person with their horse, so your vet should take your observations seriously. If you vet is not, then find a caring veterinarian in the area who will!

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